Fantasy football managers who survived to the championship round of the fantasy playoffs with horrible fantasy outings from Diontae Johnson, DeAndre Hopkins, and Drake London should consider it an early holiday season gift from the fantasy gods and turn their attention to the next round.
Here are some of my start/sit options at the WR position for Week 17 of NFL action.
Which WR Should You Start in Fantasy This Week?
Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
The loss of Ja’Marr Chase may not be helping the Bengals’ chances of advancing to the NFL postseason, but it may have helped fantasy shareholders of Tee Higgins to make a run at their fantasy football championship.
Higgins has scored three touchdowns over his last two games and was very productive against the Steelers on Saturday with 140 yards on five receptions.
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His connection with QB Jake Browning has vastly improved over the last two weeks, seeing a minimum of eight targets in both contests. Sure, the matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs isn’t ideal, but expect Higgins to continue to be the focal point of this Bengals passing attack while Chase is out of the lineup.
George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers
For those of you who decided to bench George Pickens in Week 16, only to watch him go off with four receptions for 195 and two scores … allow me to offer my condolences and hope that the decision did not directly prevent you from advancing to the championship round.
The move from Mitchell Trubisky to Mason Rudolph proved to be a great thing for Pickens, and it could be the case again for him in Week 17 against the Seattle Seahawks. The unknown at the moment is Kenny Pickett’s potential return as the starter. Either way, Pickens feels like a WR2 option this week in the hopes he can build off of a career day.
Which WR Should You Sit in Fantasy This Week?
Nico Collins, Houston Texans
Nico Collins’ 13 fantasy points in a PPR format against the Browns in Week 16 feels really deceiving when you realize he scored a late touchdown and a two-point conversion in garbage time, which saved an otherwise uninspiring fantasy day.
Sure, the Texans expect QB C.J. Stroud to clear concussion protocol and return to the starting lineup this week against Tennessee, but that was the exact same line of thinking last week, which proves nothing is really guaranteed when players are in concussion protocol.
This same Titans defense held the Texans to just 16 points in regulation just a couple of weeks ago and has held teams to an average of just 19.5 points over the last two weeks.
Garrett Wilson, New York Jets
Cleveland’s defense has been a problem for most offensive units this season, allowing an average of 22.1 fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers — the third-lowest mark in the league.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
Sure, the Jets’ offense managed to produce points against the Commanders’ woeful defensive unit last week, but the Browns are a completely different story.
Garrett Wilson will undoubtedly continue to see a healthy amount of volume in the passing game, but Cleveland’s defense is capable of making any quarterback look average. That doesn’t bode well for the Jets’ below-average QB play producing very many points in Week 17.
Trending Searches for WR Start/Sit
Did you know that we have a Start/Sit Optimizer here at Pro Football Network?! It’s completely free to use, and it allows you to enter up to six players to find the best option to plug into your starting lineup!
It also allows us to see the most popular trending searches, some of which we’ve jotted down here to help provide some clarity on!
Should You Start George Pickens or Demarcus Robinson?
The recent four-game TD streak from Los Angeles Rams WR Demarcus Robinson is one that very few saw coming. He has produced big fantasy numbers on a very modest target share, but it certainly appears he has taken the WR3 role of Tutu Atwell.
While Robinson’s production over the last four games has been outstanding, it would be reasonable to have some concerns about its sustainability. I’m going to lean with Pickens over Robinson on projected volume alone for Week 17.
Should You Start Nico Collins or Calvin Ridley?
Calvin Ridley is the lone remaining healthy starting receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars at this moment, which means he should see a significant amount of work against the Carolina Panthers.
Do we always have consistency concerns with regard to Ridley’s season? Yes, which is what makes me want to lean towards Collins if Stroud returns in Week 17.
On the flip side, I do believe Ridley’s outlook becomes a bit more favorable if Trevor Lawrence is able to play this week, but the Panthers’ secondary has been a little stingier against opposing wideouts this season than the Titans, which will still have me going with Collins in Week 17.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!